BORN TO DYE

A chef in my twenties, I’ve always been at home among the sharp tools and roiling pots of the costume dye shop.  My experience food styling on commercials for brands like Starbucks and French’s provided a specialized education in managing controlled chemical/surface reactions, manipulating color and texture for camera, and solving impossible logistical challenges. I live for taming fickle materials and finding inventive solutions on the fly. 

As a textile artist and scenic painter, I’ve had the freedom to work (and test) many of my magic tricks on a diverse range of fabrics and materials. My experience as a seamstress helped me develop a complex understanding of fiber properties and surface treatments (as they relate to the fabric’s drape and hand) as well as garment construction.

While I love the technical work of my job as an Ager/Dyer, what I most enjoy is bringing a nuanced sense of life and movement to each individual piece of the Designer’s creative vision. Costume is a crucial window into a character’s history and interior world – the Designer tells that overall story. I make my contribution in the subtle language of texture and shade.